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Still looking for their first win of the season it didn't take long for United's bolstered squad to take the lead either as after only 37 seconds Dave Symington raced away at pace down the right-hand channel before lashing a ferocious drive from 25 yards out bang into the near top corner of Morecambe goalkeeper Matthew Calvert's net.
Just as the Shrimps were recovering from that thunderbolt it was 2-0 to the Blues in the fourth minute when Ben Danvers fouled Mark Beck level with the penalty spot but out of the box on the left flank on the pitch. Symington then lining the set-piece up for what we all thought would be a cross only to curl at remarkable speed a right-footed low drive into the bottom corner at Calvert's near-post, perhaps the visitors stopper could have done better but it was still an excellent strike.
Five minutes later with Carlisle well on top kicking down the Creighton slope Lance McGlen, Matt Osmond and Beck all combined nicely but the resultant 18-yard shot from Dan Jones on his right boot dribbled away wide of the target. Morecambe then getting their first chance on goal sixty seconds later when Alex Hague's deep free-kick in from the left saw Callum Moore head narrowly wide of Jon Ball's near-post from ten yards out.
Shortly afterwards and Moore sent Dan Parkinson away down the right-hand channel, the pacey Parkinson then running on before firing a right-footed shot from 12 yards out into the far corner of the United net off the legs of Ball to make the scoreline 2-1. Carlisle then trying to restore their two goal advantage in the 15th minute when Beck sent Osmond clear down the middle, Osmond was under pressure from Josh Draycott though and Calvert was able to block away Osmond's 15-yard toe-poke on goal.
It was the return of the Symington show on 22 minutes however when he showed good control just outside the 'D' to set up himself for a shot on his weaker left foot. No matter though, as he thumped his effort well beyond the reach of Calvert's left hand to make it 3-1 to the Cumbrians. Osmond then trying to extend the United lead four minutes later but his left-footed strike from distance proved an easy one for Calvert to take.
It was 4-1 to United in the 27th minute however when the Blues broke away from a Morecambe attack, Symington feeding a pass out to Lance McGlen away down the right only for McGlen's slightly heavy first touch to lead to him looking to play possession back across into the middle. Doing just that Danvers seemed to fall over the ball as he looked to clear his lines and that left that man Symington to tap into an empty net from ten yards out.
For once today we had a referee today, in Mr Rogers, who seemed very keen to get the yellow cards out, and the first one of those came just before the half-hour mark when McGlen was booked for a foul on Hague. Carlisle then missed a good chance to make it 5-1 after 33 minutes when Jones and Todd set up Osmond 12 yards out, Osmond though only able to scoop his effort over the top with his left boot much to the relief of Calvert.
Five minutes later however and it was 5-1 when Todd and Osmond played a one-two and Todd pushed a delightful pass through the middle of a static Morecambe back-line for Beck to run onto. Beck we thought maybe shooting too early as he moved in on goal but his left-footed curler from 20 yards out easily made it past Calvert on its way into the net.
The last chance of the first-half coming in the 44th minute when Blues skipper for the day Phil Towler brought down Moore bang on the right-angle of the United penalty area. Shrimps left-back James Short then stepping up to take the set-piece with his stronger foot only to curl it well over the top of Ball's goal. Carlisle therefore taking a pretty unassailable 5-1 lead into the interval at a cold and slightly breezy Creighton.
After his long lay-off Todd was rested in the second-half as Paddy O'Brien came in on his place during the break. Symington was then thinking it was still his day in the 48th minute after Beck had been fouled by Tom Axon-Smith 30 yards out in the left-hand channel. This time though Symington's right-footed strike from there sailed across goal and well over the top of Calvert's crossbar.
Shortly afterwards and Jones hit a right-footed shot on the turn from the edge of the box straight at Calvert, then after 50 minutes Morecambe pulled the score back to 5-2. The raiding Short sticking a close-range cross in from the left which McGlen failed to clear, that then allowing Parkinson to take advantage of a loose ball six yards out as he slid a side-footer into the net under the body of Ball.
The Shrimps then going close again three minutes later when Hague sent a cross in from the left but Parkinson's 15-yard right-footed volley sliced away off his laces and well wide of Ball's left-hand upright. The first substitution of the day for the visitors then coming bang on the hour-mark when Joe Bartlett came on in place of Ryan Winder in the Morecambe engine room.
Moments on and Short was the next player to foul Beck on the right-angle of the Shrimps penalty area, Osmond's left-footed cross-shot from there though evading everybody as it flew across goal and wide of the far-post. After 63 minutes Morecambe's right-back and captain Joe Culshaw was the second player into the referee's notebook when he was yellow carded for a late tackle on O'Brien.
The visitors were looking to pull another goal back two minutes later when Draycott played in Bartlett but his right-footed strike from 20 yards out flew away well wide of the target. Substitutions and bookings then became the order of the day for the next 13 minutes as Draycott was carded in the 66th minute for dissent after kicking the ball away in frustration at a free-kick award.
Sixty seconds later and Kieran Sloan came on for Jones for Carlisle, with Kieran joining namesake, but not relative, Mark in the United midfield. The 69th minute saw O'Brien crunched again as Bartlett went into the book for a poor challenge, with Symington then responding in kind on Bartlett five minutes later for his own yellow card.
Shortly afterwards and Alex Salmon came on for Moore upfront for Morecambe, then in the 76th minute O'Brien was booked for dissent after giving a free-kick away. Seconds later and Adam Gill replaced four goal Dave Symington for the Cumbrians then the final booking of the day came in the 79th minute when Joe Mwasilie was carded for dissent after a Parkinson foul on Blues centre-half Brad Potts.
Thankfully it was back to more traditional footballing action ten minutes from time when United left-back Kieran Cahill sent a long ball over the top to leave Osmond away in the clear. Osmond taking the pass down very well with his right boot only to then lift his left-footed drive over the bar from 22 yards out. Carlisle then missing another good chance to make it 6-2 two minutes later when, from an O'Brien cross, an unmarked Beck headed straight into the arms of Calvert from the middle of the Shrimps box.
The visitors then made their final change of the game during the break in play when Josh Moffet replaced Draycott. On 86 minutes it was Carlisle again looking to find the net but after O'Brien had taken a Gill pass in on his chest he only succeeded in slicing his left-footed 18-yard half-volley wide of Calvert's near-post. Calvert able to watch again from O'Brien moments later as the United midfielder's right-footed strike from just outside the box flew away over the top.
It was 5-3 after 89 minutes though when from pretty much nowhere Parkinson hammered a 20-yard right-footed drive low into the far bottom corner of Ball's goal. Morecambe then three minutes into injury time, with the final opportunity of the match, seeing an under pressure Parkinson head wide of the near-post from close range following a corner in from Hague.
So, the first win of the season has come at last for the youth team but Blues boss Eric Kinder will probably be talking about losing the second-half of the game 2-0 as much as anything else. Particularly with the big match on Tuesday night coming up as Carlisle face league opponents Wrexham at Brunton Park in a 7pm kick in the first round of the FA Youth Cup.
United line-up :
Jon Ball, Lance McGlen, Kieran Cahill, Phil Towler (c), Brad Potts, Mark Sloan, David Symington (Adam Gill 76), Josh Todd (Paddy O'Brien 46), Mark Beck, Dan Jones (Kieran Sloan 67), Matt Osmond.
Unused substitutes :
Craig Whinham (GK).
Morecambe line-up :
Matthew Calvert, Joe Culshaw (c), James Short, Tom Axon-Smith (Josh Moffet 82), Ben Danvers, Josh Draycott, Joe Mwasilie, Ryan Winder (Joe Bartlett 60), Dan Parkinson, Callum Moore (Alex Salmon 75), Alex Hague.
Unused substitutes :
Ryan Shepherd (GK) and Brett McMillan.
Referee - JS Rogers.
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